HUDSON — A walking trail being planned in Hudson will cost less after changes were made by the city’s engineering firm and the Michigan Department of Transportation.

The Hudson City Council on Tuesday approved a change order that reduces the cost to build the trail by $33,091.

The project was estimated to cost $178,000, but Michigan Paving of Jackson, the lowest of six bidders, came in at $220,000 and was awarded the contract by MDOT.

The trail is being built through a federal congestion mitigation and air quality grant.

Hudson City Manager Steve Hartsel said engineering firm Fleis and VandenBrink Inc. of Kalamazoo, the company guiding the city in the walking trail’s construction, worked with MDOT and the contractor to remove some of the items, such as trash receptacles, infrastructure and benches, and reduce the overall cost by $33,091. The city’s department of public works will likely be able to take care of those projects at a lesser cost, Hartsel said.

The project, now set to cost $187,674.16, is scheduled to start in the spring. The Murdock Trail is to run from Jackson Street around Lincoln Elementary School and end at North Maple Grove Avenue. It is the second of four planned trails in around Hudson.

In other business

The Hudson City Council on Tuesday also:

— Recognized Rob Hall for his years of service to the Local Development Finance Authority with a resolution. Hall served from Jan. 1, 1999, to Dec. 31, 2012.

— Approved a motion to seek sealed bids for a three-year contract to mow the lawn at Maple Grove Cemetery.

— Approved a motion to seek bids to farm the agricultural land in the city’s industrial park.

— Voted 5-1 to trade in the city’s 8-year-old van and lease a more fuel-efficient, compact car through CR Motors in Hudson. Councilwoman Namrata Carolan cast the lone “no” vote.